Lung tumor

Author: Mikael Häggström

Presentations

• Bronchial lavage
• Lung needle biopsy
• Tumor resection
• Lung autopsy

Gross processing

In tumor resection and autopsy:

• Measure tumor size
• Determine location: Which lobe, and if it is peripheral, central or hilar.
• Margin length to pleura and hilum.
• Any involvement of major bronchi or blood vessels.
• Any abnormal hilar lymph nodes.

• Squamous cell carcinoma involving a subsegmental bronchus with distal chronic obstructive pneumonia. The tumor is seen as a rounded nodule, approximately 2 cm in diameter, proximal to a more irregular focus of chronic obstructive pneumonia with fibrosis.
  Squamous cell carcinoma involving a subsegmental bronchus with distal chronic obstructive pneumonia. The tumor is seen as a rounded nodule, approximately 2 cm in diameter, proximal to a more irregular focus of chronic obstructive pneumonia with fibrosis.

Microscopic evaluation

Medical imaging provides a major clue as to whether a lung tumor is benign or malignant, where lesions smaller than 2 cm are likely to be benign, whereas lesions larger than 2 cm are malignant (that is, lung cancer) in 85% of cases.

Subsequently distribution of benign tumors and lung cancers, respectively, are as follows:

File:Pie chart of lung cancers.svg

Lung cancers by relative incidence.

Benign lung tumors:

• Hamartomas - 76%
• Benign fibrous mesothelioma/solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) - 12.3%
• Inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT) - 5.4%
• Lipoma - 1.5%
• Leiomyoma - 1.5%
• Other - 3.3%

Gallery of lung cancers

• Bronchioloalveolar cell adenocarcinoma
  Bronchioloalveolar cell adenocarcinoma
• Large cell carcinoma of the lung: neoplastic cells with abundant pale eosinophilic cytoplasm
  Large cell carcinoma of the lung: neoplastic cells with abundant pale eosinophilic cytoplasm
• Squamous-cell carcinoma in a bronchial lavage, pap stain
  Squamous-cell carcinoma in a bronchial lavage, pap stain

Main page

• Main page of Patholines